3 Questions Surface As Chicago Cubs Release Opening Day Roster
The Chicago Cubs have released their Opening Day roster for the 2026 season, and although fans pretty much knew who was making the team after a few injuries, it’s no less remarkable who ended up on it. Usually, and in the Cubs’ case in recent years, there will be pitchers who were claimed off waivers or came into camp on minor league deals who ultimately win a spot in the bullpen, but this time around, three non-roster invitees on the position side grabbed spots on the 26-man roster.
The Cubs are relatively healthy heading into the regular season, but they won’t have right fielder Seiya Suzuki until at least April 1. Suzuki sprained his right knee while playing for Japan in the World Baseball Classic, which opened up an unexpected spot on the roster. Tyler Austin’s knee surgery that was announced mid-spring training also created more competition for the bench, and that’s how the Cubs got to Michael Conforto, Dylan Carlson, and Scott Kingery all making the Opening Day roster.
That leads to the first question as we look at the Cubs’ Opening Day roster.
Who Gets Released When Seiya Suzuki Returns from IL?
The Cubs placed Suzuki on the 10-day injured list, which is retroactive to March 22. That means, if his recovery goes smoothly, then Suzuki can return to the active roster on April 1.
At first thought, it seems obvious that Kingery would be immediately designated for assignment once Suzuki comes back from the injured list. However, the main reason Kingery made the roster is that the Cubs were intent on carrying an extra infielder to begin the year. Yet, that could be tied to Matt Shaw being one of the main options to fill in for Suzuki in right field during the first week of the regular season, which would leave the Cubs without another infielder on the bench.
Carlson is the only other player on the active roster with meaningful experience playing center field, so he does seem like the safe choice to keep, as he would slot into the backup role to Pete Crow-Armstrong. Conforto was awful in 2025, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, so who knows if his decline will continue or if he bounces back, but he’d be the other left-handed bat who could be called upon to step up if rookie Moises Ballesteros struggles.
Kingery is the obvious answer here, but we’ve seen wilder things. That being said, if Kingery does stick around for longer than Suzuki’s absence, then something went wrong.
Who Should Start in Right Field?
The Cubs will begin the regular season with three games at home against the Washington Nationals, who announced their starting rotation. The Nationals will have three right-handed starters going up against the Cubs at Wrigley Field: Cade Cavalli, Miles Mikolas, and Jake Irvin.
Naturally, Conforto seems to be the likeliest starter in right field. He has the best track record among the three options, he’s a left-handed hitter, and besides Carlson, he’s actually played right field in his MLB career. Carlson seems like a defensive sub rather than a starter early on, which leaves Matt Shaw as the main competition for early starts while Suzuki continues his recovery.
Shaw is entering his second year in the majors, but he’ll be in a new role in 2026. After being the starting third baseman throughout his rookie year, Shaw will now be a utility player, which includes some time in the outfield. He looked shaky in right field during spring training, so that could make Craig Counsell a bit apprehensive to use him right out of the gate.
Yet, fans look at Conforto’s 2025 numbers with the Dodgers and want nothing to do with him in the starting lineup. Shaw has much more upside than Conforto at this point in their careers, which is why some Cubs fans want him out in right field over the veteran. We’ll see if Counsell rolls the dice or plays it safe with Conforto this week against the Nationals.
How Will Ben Brown Be Used Out of the Bullpen?
The only question on the pitching staff coming out of spring training was who was going to get the final bullpen spot, and in what ended up being a bit of a shocker, it was Ben Brown.
The hard-throwing righty was being built up as a starter for most of spring training, but then a week before Opening Day, Brown came into a game and pitched an inning of relief. He’s had mixed results out of the bullpen in his first two years in the majors, and while the idea of Ben Brown as a starting pitcher is still possible, the Cubs obviously love his arm talent enough now to use him as a reliever to begin the 2026 season.
However, will the Cubs actually commit to using Brown as a one or two-inning reliever, or will he be used as a bulk guy, coming in out of the bullpen for 3-4 innings at a time in case a starter gets into trouble early in an outing? Colin Rea is already the long man in the bullpen, so is Brown potentially lined up to be a high-leverage bullpen arm?
That’s one to keep an eye on. Brown has developed a new pitch, adding a sinker to his pitching arsenal in 2026, in hopes of sticking around as an option in the starting rotation. For now, that will be on hold, but there’s no doubt that his skillset can end up being a lethal weapon for Counsell to use out of the bullpen.